Two major exit polls showed a dead heat between Denmark's ruling left-wing and opposition right-wing blocs after polling stations closed in Thursday's general election.

A survey by public broadcaster DR showed the right-wing opposition getting 89 seats in parliament compared to 86 for centre-left Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, while TV2 gave the opposition 88 seats versus 87 for the ruling bloc.

The anti-immigration Danish People's Party was credited with 18.5 percent of voter sympathies in the first poll and 18.3 percent in the second. It won 12.3 percent of votes in the 2011 election, and if confirmed, Thursday's results would be a record score for the party.

If the exit poll results are accurate, the outcome of the election could be decided by two former Danish colonies, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, where three out of four seats traditionally go to the leftist bloc.

However, a dispute over mackerel quotas means the Social Democrats are expected to have a weak showing in the Faroes, an autonomous territory where they have faced stiff competition from a pro-independence party.